SI View The Week in TV Sports

Same old Woods, brand-new irons. When the PGA Tour launches its1998 season from the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad,Calif., Tiger Woods, the defending titlist at this event, willbe hitting his shots with Titleist irons instead of Mizunos. Ofcourse Woods, 22, the Tour's leading money-winner last year witha record $2,066,833, did enjoy some good fortune with his oldclubs. His victory at La Costa a year ago was accomplished whenhe beat Tom Lehman in a playoff by pulling out a six-iron on thepar-3 7th hole and launching his ball (let history record thatit was a Titleist) to within six inches of the pin.ABC, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, 3 PM

FIGURE SKATINGU.S. Championships

No, the stars at this event only look like the cast of Scream2.Unlike the 1994 championships, which gave us theHarding-Kerrigan high jinks and the original Scream, the youngfemales featured here have no hooded hoodlums to fear--only eachother. Nineteen skaters, including '97 world champion TaraLipinski (left), 15, and '96 world champion Michelle Kwan, 17,are scheduled to vie in the free skate for spots aboard nextmonth's Olympic caravan. Look for charismatic rebel grrrl NicoleBobek, 20, or graceful Tonia Kwiatkowski, 26, to join Lipinskiand Kwan in the U.S. contingent for Nagano.ABC, 8 PM

Sunday 1/11

PRO FOOTBALLAFC & NFC Championship Games

In Pittsburgh, where the score and the temperature could be low,will the Steelers' Jerome (the Bus) Bettis (36) have enough gasin his tank to outduel the AFC's top rusher, Denver's TerrellDavis? In San Francisco, can the top-rated defense of the 49ers,who have bowed out of the NFC playoffs the last two years at thehands of Green Bay, contain the Packers' NFL co-MVP quarterbackBrett Favre?AFC, NBC, 12:30 PM; NFC, FOX, 4 PM

Monday 1/12

BASKETBALLHarlem Globetrotters' 20,000th Game

Vegas casinos aren't offering a line on this game between theGlobies and the New Jersey Nationals (coached by lovable loserRed Klotz), and who can blame them? The Globetrotters (whoshould enter the game with a 71-year record of 19,667-332) havelost once in the past 27 years, a 1995 defeat at the hands of apickup team led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The site for number20,000--Remington, Ind.--was chosen for being typical of thetowns through which the Trotters have barnstormed since theywere founded in Chicago in 1927. Even if the Nationals enter thegym at Tri-County High prepared for the water-bucket trick, theyhave no one to impede 6'5" Globetrotter forward Michael Wilson,coholder of the world record for the highest slam dunk (11'10"),or 7'6 1/2" center Dut Mayar, the tallest player to cavort tothe strains of Sweet Georgia Brown.ESPN2, 7 PM

Tuesday 1/13

PRO BASKETBALLSonics at Bulls

Newly bearded Seattle coach George Karl now looks like teammascot Sasquatch. Prodigal Son(ic) guard Dale Ellis, 37, hasreturned, by means of a trade with the Denver Nuggets, and atweek's end was leading the NBA in three-point precision (48.7%).Forward Vin Baker (at left, number 42, shooting against theDetroit Pistons) sings the national anthem. Dynamo point guardGary Payton says, "The 1996 team"--which made the NBAFinals--"was great, but we can do a lot more." Smells like teamspirit, something Seattle lacked last season, and it hadpropelled the Sonics to the NBA's best record (26-6) throughSunday. This matchup pits I-can Seattle against Chicago's icon,Michael Jordan, who scored 26 points in the Bulls' 91-90 loss inSeattle on Nov. 25 and who has since boosted his Pippenless teamto the best record (22-10) in the Eastern Conference.TNT, 8 PM

Last week's Rose Bowl supplied us with the year's firstfact-based TV movie--as if anyone would believe thistear-jerking, true-life fairy tale--Griese and Son. Our castingcall: Mark Harmon, himself a former college quarterback (UCLA),as ABC analyst and proud dad Bob; Party of Five's Scott Wolf (inplatform cleats) as unassuming-yet-heroic quarterback and gameMVP Brian; and Sam Waterston as equally unassuming Michigancoach Lloyd Carr. Supporting roles would be filled by JonathanWinters as Bob's broadcast partner, Keith Jackson, and ReggieTheus as sideline reporter Lynn Swann. James (Titanic) Cameron,who would be expected to build a full-scale replica of Ann Arboron the outskirts of Tijuana, would direct.